A lost home: The story of submerged Builum Village in Mizoram

By Lalramnghaki Pulamte | April 20, 2018

The need for innovation in the name of modernization has many dire consequences. For instance, the construction of the transcontinental railroad in America forever altered the landscape and caused displacement of the Native American tribes. Likewise, a small village located in Bilkhawthlir block of Kolasib District, Mizoram established in the year 1941, was submerged due to the construction of Serlui B dam. Consequently, the people of Builum village went on to scatter around the places in Kolasib district. A once united village no longer existed.

The construction of Serlui B dam, 12 MW hydroelectric power station began in 2003 and was completed in 2009.  It was hard for the people to actually leave their village, so they resided on the shore for a long period of time. The head of the village recalls the situation, saying that they would measure the rise of the water level every night out of anxiety; knowing the fact that they will have to leave even the shore for their safety.

Builum was a small village with no traces of modernization. However, they were not dependent on the government. Agriculture was the main profession of the village and to them happiness lied in the product of their cultivation. However, with the advancement in technology and modernization, the need for power was more a concern for the government and for the people of Mizoram.

Despite the fact that the village is already submerged under water, people would still go for fishing and cultivate crops nearby the river banks. One of the villagers, in the memoirs of Builum wrote that all their hard work and a place that was once called 'home' vanished in just the blink of an eye. And even though a large sum of money was given to them to compensate their loss, the real price of Builum will never be paid and things will never be the same again.

About the contributor: Lalramnghaki Pulamte is student of St. Anthony's College, Mass Media Dept. She can be reached at anghaki.hmar@gmail.com

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